Since then, BMW Sauber announced that NH’s car was underweight – note it was the team who told the FIA; he’ll start the race from the pit lane instead of P7. That bumps everyone from RK onwards up one spot.

21: LH pits from P1 – 8.8s – clean stop – rejoins ahead of FA
“Incident involving car 16 (NR) under investigation” … so expect a penalty soon
Yes, “Drive through penalty for car 16 – crossing the line at pit exit”
AS leaving the scene of an accident with NH
AS has no front wing; NH has a destroyed rear right wheel – he drives behind off track and retires
Replay shows AS trying to pass down the inside into Turn 14 – hits JA – spins the Force India – keeps his foot down and spins around into NH
There’s GOT to be a major penalty for AS – that was stupidly dangerous!
Safety Car deployed

22[SC]: AS pits for a new nose cone
Lots of debris strewn across Turn 14
JB pits, as does FA, KR, KN, …
JA pits – he pulls away before the lollipop is lifted – takes the fuel hose with him
Replay: JA definitely went before he was told to – they’d only just dropped the rear jack, so maybe he forgot which pedal is the brake?
BBC happen to be in the pits – everyone’s OK
Marshals clear up the debris in Turn 14

24[SC]: Pit-car for NR tells him to follow the SC into the pits so he can serve his drive-through penalty

25[SC]: AS pits and parks in the garage – hopefully he’ll have a penalty for the next race
Safety Car in at the end of this lap – lights on the top of the SC are off, which informs the drivers he’ll be peeling off into the pits
LH starts to back up the pack as the SC heads for the pits

42: Replay shows SV hit his own wing mirror that he dropped a few laps back – looks like he’s damaged the rear diffuser
“Drive through penalty for car 15 (SV) – speeding in the pit lane”

44: SV serves his drive-through penalty – rejoins just ahead of KR

45/61: MW pits – long stop while they check the front right brake – thumbs up – 14.7s stop
BBC report a mechanic picked up the brake dust from MW’s stop and they’re examining a lump

46: LH, FA, JB
BBC also report that SV’s mechanics took a look at his rear diffuser when he served his drive-through penalty – apparently one mechanic signalled that it’s over but he’s still running
MW backwards into the tyre wall – brake failure?

47: LH pits from P1 – 6.5s stop – good stop – rejoins behind FA so he’s in P2
Replay of MW’s accident – big cloud of brake dust from the front right under braking = brake failure – fortunately it was one of the few places with a decent run off area
No safety car – the marshals can clear this under yellow flags

48: Pit-car from LH asking if all is OK after he accelerated out of the box as the rear jack was removed; team say all OK

51: FA pits from P1 – 5.5s – quick stop – rejoins in P4
Brawn mechanics get ready for JB – should be a splash & dash
Pit-car for RB saying JB in this lap, warning him the teammates could be entering Turn 1 together

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4 Reply to “Singapore Grand Prix – Race”

The stewards investigation into the AS/NH incident was held after the race; the FIA site reports “Sutil was subsequently reprimanded and fined $20,000.”

I don’t think a financial penalty is appropriate – he should have received a time/grid spot penalty for the next race, I believe, but at least they slapped his wrist.

Unfortunately the incident ended NH’s long run of finishes: “The last time Heidfeld was not classified in a race result was at the 2007 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis where his car succumbed to hydraulic problems.” [FIA]

Sebastian Vettel thinks the stewards were wrong to penalise him for speeding in the pit lane, and I tend to agree with his argument: he says (according to autosport.com) that the FIA calculated his speed based on dividing the time it took him to enter the pits divided by their predetermined measurement of the distance. He maintains he took a shortcut, hence a shorter distance and therefore his speed was calculated as being higher than it actually was.

It’s not like the FIA can’t afford to buy a couple of police speed radar guns!